Saturday, July 29, 2006

Hospital Freed!!!

Promise made - promise delivered.

Two Conservative MP's have carved out a new lease for the Queensway-Carleton Hospital.

Treasury Board President John Baird and Tory MP Pierre Poilievre will announce Wednesday that the Federal Government will charge the west-end hospital one dollar a year for rent. The hospital is located on 50 acres of National Capital Commission land and currently pays 23-thousand dollars a year for rent. There was fears that the rent could go up to the millions as the NCC had a policy of "market value" rents - even to Hospitals.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Aid for Lebanon - Update

"We are concerned about the Lebanese people who require immediate humanitarian aid as a result of the current conflict. We will continue to monitor the situation and stand ready to respond should further assistance be needed." said Minister Josée Verner

CIDA will immediately allocate $500,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in response to its preliminary appeal. This funding will help to ease the plight of families in Lebanon who have been displaced by the fighting or trapped in villages isolated by destroyed road networks. The remaining $500,000 will be allocated in the coming days.

The Ontario government has put up $100,000. Let see the other provinces kick in as well.

Two convoys carrying generators for hospitals, food, tarpaulins and hygiene kits were heading from Beirut to Tyre and the southern city of Marjayoun, said Hisham Hassan, ICRC spokesman in Lebanon.

Aid was starting to move into Beirut's port after Israel opened it for humanitarian ships. An Italian warship brought food, medicine, tents, blankets, water, electrical generators and ambulances. A ferry carrying supplies from France also arrived.

Monday, July 17, 2006

Solidarity for Peace

Without comment on Harper's initial comments regarding the latest fighting in Lebanon (althought you can probably guess what it would be from my previous post) I would like to point out that its not just an exlusively Conservative view. There are many conservatives who disagree as well as many Liberals who do agree:

OTTAWA – Nova Scotia MP Scott Brison expressed his solidarity with the State of Israel following the unprovoked attacks and kidnappings of Israeli citizens outside of Gaza and at the Lebanese border.

“Israel not only has the right but the absolute duty to protect itself and its citizens from terror attacks. In a region that is already a powder keg, the coordinated actions of Hamas and Hezbollah - both of which are on Canada’s terrorist list – can only raise the tensions and elevate the risks for all parties,” affirmed Mr. Brison.

I would like to think of this as not a partisan issue and that all parties in Canada would put full efforts into finding a peacefull solution, no matter how impossible that dream my be.

Friday, July 14, 2006

Lebanon: Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Updated

I was just over at Arabian dissent and read his post retelling of a conversation with a friend he has in Beirut. I think everyone should read this glimpse into the heart of most people in Lebanon. All they want to do is be left alone but seem to find themselves constantly embroiled in war between the hard-line muslim extremists with Syrian and Iranian backing and the State of Israel. By no means is the average Lebanese citizen a friend of Israel, but for the most part they are a secular people who are hard working and who are now willing to let go of the past if they can live in peace. They are a budding democracy that is pro-business and trying to rebuild a country that its people, who earlier fled from violence, can return home to.

I think its a mistake to lump whats happening in the south with the people of Lebanon. The Lebanese government does not have the strength to handle Hesballah or the Syrian government. They are at the mercy of exterior forces from all points of the world and I think its a shame. If Syria and Iran want a war with Israel, then don't use Lebanon as the battleground. If its a war you want, do it in your own backyard. I can understand that Israel wants to defend its people, but I agree with Bush on this one, Israel has to remember who the real enemy is, and its not the people of Lebanon.

Update: check out this email from Michael Russo sent to Glen Reynolds (instapundit) . This paragraph I think is the best way to say what I've been trying to explain in the post and comments...

The Lebanese people seem to be more than turned off by Hizbollah. Their fears are greater, however, that the Lebanese government would turn entirely against Hizbollah. This lies in the fact that they trust the Israelis to hit fewer civilian targets more than they trust a desparate renegade Hizbollah on their soil. There is a lot of fear over another civil war.

Monday, July 03, 2006

Canada; Strong and Free? - An essay on Canada from the U.K.

"With glowing hearts, we see thee rise/ The true North strong and free" - Canadian national anthem

There was a time that Canada was a model Western state, indeed, Comedian and actor Peter Ustinov once described Toronto as "New York, run by the Swiss". It was a beautiful, rugged country of jagged mountains, sweeping rivers, towering snow dusted pines and majestic golden prairies rolling towards the horizon. Its people were (and for the most part still are) charming, well mannered, hard working, family orientated and God fearing. They also didn't hesitate to defend liberty and freedom wherever and whenever it was threatened, and Canadian soldiers fought across the globe to advance and defend liberty.

However, the leftist social assault that has been waging since the 1960's in all Western states has taken a particularly heavy toll on Canada. One could argue the toll taken is on a par with the leftist moral ruins that we see in Scandinavia or the Netherlands, and many commentators would agree that Canada is the most left wing politically correct nation outside of Europe...